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Hanging around, sometimes for days, with no decent rest facilities – these are unwanted parts of the job for many drivers in East Africa. Eddie Dickson reports

Drivers in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and other neighbouring countries are being hindered by a regional crisis in road transport. Many roads in the region are in a poor condition and rest place facilities are inadequate. At the same time, drivers’ regulations at border crossing points cause delay and difficulty for drivers as they try to meet the processing requirements of different governments. This problem is demonstrated by the following story:

A truck driver in Kampala, Uganda obtains work to deliver a new truck to Kampala from Mombasa in Kenya, a distance of 1240 kms. As is usual in such engagements a contract price of around US$100 is agreed. The truck is unloaded in Mombasa and transferred into a bond store until all tax and associated issues are sorted out. Once this process is completed the agent notifies the driver that the truck is available.

Days 1 & 2: The driver travels by bus from Kampala to Mombasa – a bus journey of approximately 36 hours.

Day 3: The driver reports for work and customs clearance and paper work is completed. As the vehicle is new and has to cross the border it will need to be escorted by the police. These arrangements require the driver to book an escort and stand by until notified.

Day 4: In this case the process delays departure another day.

Day 5: A convoy of new vehicles under police escort leave Mombasa for the border town of Malaba – a distance of 1000 kms. This journey is completed in one day with excessive driving hours. There are no proper accommodation facilities at the border for the drivers.

Day 6 & 7: The driver is not allowed to carry the required paper work, so he has to wait for an agent to turn up. The agent arrives and completes the necessary paper work with customs, police and insurance requirements. In this case the process takes two days.

Day 8: Once cleared in Kenya the driver crosses the border and then has to stop again and register for a further escort to Kampala.

Day 9: Finally on the ninth day since leaving home the driver, under escort, delivers the vehicle to its new owners in Kampala and returns to his family.

ITF seminar

At a seminar in Nairobi in December 2002 organised by the ITF and the Finnish Trade Union Solidarity Centre (SASK), road transport unions resolved to increase their cross-border union activities and address regional issues together. They agreed to campaign jointly for improvements to roads and rest facilities, and for harmonisation of the different border regulations.

Eddie Dickson is Assistant Secretary of the ITF Inland Transport Section.

In the driving seat Aloyce Mtaju: Fuel Tanker Driver, Primefuels Ltd, Mwanza region, West Tanzania. Duties: Load fuel, drive and deliver fuel to mining operations in the region. Union: Communication & Transport Workers’ Union of Tanzania (COTWU). Aloyce Mtaju drives relatively short distances compared with many drivers he knows, and he enjoys his work. Normally he is away from home for only one night at a time, but bad roads cause delays and slow his progress. Delays at the barge river crossing often mean he has to wait until the next day to cross the river. In any case drivers have to stop and park their tankers at 18:00 irrespective of where they are. They receive travel and accommodation allowances for time away from home but these are barely enough to cover actual costs. A normal working day for Mtaju is 07:30 to 17:00, subject to delays and hold ups, with an hour off for lunch. As is usual he has an assistant who travels with him. This worker is known locally as a “turn boy” and attends to punctures, minor repairs and vehicle cleaning. After securing his job at the firm, Mtaju approached the union for membership. He was keen to join because his previous experience as a driver had confirmed that union membership means less victimisation, especially on petty industrial issues. Drivers at Primefuels all receive the same rate of monthly pay. Their assistants are on a common rate too. The union is currently seeking to improve the collective agreement.